Library Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

1. Call to Order: Chair Robert Sochacki called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.

1.1 Roll Call - Present: Trustees Robert Sochacki, Jean Hansen, Paul Snyder, Joe Corriveau and Mike DeFrancesco. Also present: Julie Herrin, Library Director; Anne Mannisto, Assistant Library Director; Carla Eggert, Administrative Assistant. Absent: Trustees Alan Somershoe and Jim Morché.1.2 Approval of the Agenda: MOTION: Paul Snyder made a motion to accept the agenda as presented. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed.1.3 Election of 2013 Officers: Jean Hansen nominated Robert Sochacki for Chair for 2013. Nomination was seconded by Paul Snyder. Robert Sochacki was elected. Robert Sochacki nominated Joe Corriveau for Vice Chair, seconded by Paul Snyder. Joe Corriveau was elected to the position of Vice Chair. Robert Sochacki nominated Jean Hansen for Treasurer; the motion was seconded by Mike DeFrancesco. Jean Hansen was elected to the position of Treasurer. Robert Sochacki nominated Paul Snyder for Secretary. Joe Corriveau seconded the nomination. Paul Snyder was elected Secretary.1.4 Resolution 2013-01: Paul Snyder read Resolution 2013-01 which sets the dates of the regular meetings of the Northville District Library Board of Trustees for the calendar year 2013. The Resolution passed by a unanimous roll call vote, with two Trustees absent. All regular meetings of the Board of Trustees are on the 4th Thursday of the month with the exception of November and December, which are scheduled for the 3rd Thursday, due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.1.5 Committee Appointments: The following committees were established for 2013:

1.6 Approval of Meeting Minutes 12/20/2012: Changes to the minutes of December 20, 2012 were requested. Jean Hansen made a motion to approve the minutes as amended. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed. 1.7 Citizen Comments: None.

2. Correspondence: None.

3. Director's Report

Statistics: Julie Herrin reported that December circulation has increased 1% over last year and the door count was up 1.4%. Downloads have gone up 112%. Freegal had 119 uses and 748 songs were downloaded. BrainFuse had 533 uses. For the Library's subscription databases, searches were down by 3% and sessions were down by 12%. Programming: There were ten programs for youth in December with 250 children attending. There were four programs for adults, with attendance of 35 people. December is a slow month for programming. The Foreign Film was moved to Monday, January 28 due to the Martin Luther King holiday closure. Teen Services: Suzanne Schimanski-Gross and Julie Ramsden gave Battle of the Books presentations to classes at Hillside and Meads Mill Schools, speaking to about 870 youth. There are seven Battle of the Books teams signed up so far. The deadline to register is January 30, 2013. Staff: Julie reported that we are currently interviewing for the position of part-time librarian, to fill the vacancy. PR: Julie stated that volunteers are needed to help staff the Library table at the Taste of Northville being held Saturday, March 9 from 12-3 p.m. at Northville High School. Bob Sochacki, Jean Hansen and Joe Corriveau volunteered to assist. Facilities: Julie reported that the Library will close one day for the carpeting replacement in the circulation work area. The main staircase will be re-carpeted after Library hours. The remaining work areas will be carpeted while the Library is open. The Library closure date will either be Friday, March 1 or Friday, March 8, depending on when the new carpeting is delivered. Development: The Development Committee has two new members, Craig Orr and Scott Frush. The Donor Recognition Party will be held this Sunday, Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Library. Mr. Frush is assisting with the catering from Cantoro's Italian Market.

4. Friends Report: Julie Herrin attended the January Friends Board Meeting. She reported that the Book and Author Luncheon will be held on May 9. The speaker is D.E. Johnson, the author of Detroit Electric Scheme, Motor City Shakedown and Detroit Breakdown. The Friends are changing their membership dues structure. Basic membership will be $20, Family membership $50, Patron membership $100 and Lifetime membership $1000. Julie gave the Friends the Library's wish list for the Friends 2013-2014 fiscal year but has not had a response yet.

5. Budget and Finance Review:

5.1 Bills over $1,000 for approval: Treasurer Jean Hansen presented the List of Bills over $1,000 for January 2013. MOTION: Jean made a motion to approve these bills for payment. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed.5.2 Financial Report: Jean reported that there were some discrepancies between the audit and the financial statements for November 2012. Jean will wait to distribute the revised financial statements for November until next month. The Building Maintenance line item was under budget by $15,056 last year. That amount will go toward paying for the lighting and carpeting projects. Funds that were paid as a down payment for the lighting project were reclassified as prepaid expenses. The Reserve Fund shows $284,075.15 due from other funds. This amount includes $200,000 loaned to the Operating Fund which will be paid back to the Reserve Fund next month. Julie noted that the actual costs for fringe benefits in the last fiscal year were less than had been projected. For this reason, the budgeted amount for the current fiscal year for this line item can be reduced. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to amend the budgeted amount for fringe benefits and payroll tax from $512,000 to $495,000. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed.

6. Committee Reports

6.1 Report on the Library Directors Evaluation: Paul Snyder stated that the evaluation went well and Julie did a good job. Paul reported that all of the marks were 4.66 or better for all areas on a scale of 1 to 5. The official copy of the Director's Performance Evaluation will be placed in her personnel file. Julie thanked the Board and said that she has a wonderful staff and Board of Trustees to work with.

7. Announcements and Comments

7.1 The next Finance Committee Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.7.2 The next Board Meeting will be on Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.

MOTION: Joe Corriveau made a motion to adjourn the January Regular Board Meeting. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed. The Meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

3. Presentation of the 2012 Audit-Plante Moran: Chris Jones from Plante Moran presented the audit of the Library for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, noting that once again the Library has a "clean audit". Jamie Montague from Plante Moran gave an overview of the 2012 audit report. She reported that there were no major changes in regulations from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) this year. She asked the Trustees in attendance for any questions they might have about the audit. Jean Hansen asked about the current amount of $32,000 per year being set aside for Retiree Health Care. Mr. Jones reported that the valuation document for Retiree Health Care costs was updated this year. The Library could reduce the amount designated for this to $12,000-$13,000 per year based on the new valuation. Jean Hansen also asked about the phasing out of the personal property tax that is scheduled to go into effect in 2014. Mr. Jones stated that he would recommend continuing to deduct the full amount of estimated personal property tax and amending the budget if necessary when the changes go into effect. Mike DeFrancesco asked about the recommendation in the "Report to the Library Board" section that the Library consider moving to a "paid time off" (PTO) model, rather than providing employees time off specifically for vacation, sick time and personal time. Mr. Jones explained that the Library has over $140,000 in liabilities for compensated absences on its balance sheet. In the PTO model, there are usually fewer carry-over days and fewer "paid out" days when an employee separates from the Library. This reduces the amount of compensated absences due to employees. A benefit to employees of the PTO model is that they are able to utilize all of their allowed time off for whatever purpose they desire. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion that the audit for the 2011-2012 fiscal year be accepted as presented. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed.

4. Director's ReportStatistics: Julie Herrin reported that circulation was up 3.79% and the door count was up 5.69%. The use of eBooks has increased 74% over last year. Freegal had 110 uses with 712 songs downloaded. Usage of BrainFuse was 533 for the month. Use of the Library wireless access was up to 800 this month which is very high.Programming: There were 31 programs for youth with 672 children attending. There were 8 programs for adults, with attendance of 262 people. The Foreign Film series continues to be very popular.Teen Services: Battle of the Books will be held on March 20. There are 32 Battle of the Books teams signed up with 159 students scheduled to participate.Staff: Julie reported that Vicki Dixon is the new part-time librarian, filling the vacancy in Adult Services. She has started and is doing very well.Technology: Julie reported that support for Windows XP ends next year, so staff computers are being converted over to Windows 7 and in some instances replaced if the computer is too old to be converted. The support from the Friends for $15,000 has allowed the Library to purchase five new computers for the Youth Services area. These computers are AWE workstations which are very rugged, turnkey, all-in-one digital learning stations, with preloaded educational games and software. They have a three-year warranty and will require much less staff time to maintain than the computers currently in the Youth Services area.Facilities: Julie reported that the replacement of the light fixtures around the main staircase should be completed tomorrow, with the exception of one damaged fixture. This will be sent back to the manufacturer for repair and will be installed at a later date. The replacement of the carpeting in the circulation work area and main staircase will begin on Friday, March 29 when the Library will be closed. The remaining work areas will be carpeted while the Library is open.PR: Julie reported that the Donor Recognition Event, the Geek Gala, held on Sunday,January 27, went very well. She will discuss this further with the Development Committee report. The Taste of Northville will be held on Saturday, March 9. The Library Newsletter that will be mailed on March 1 includes our Annual Giving Campaign insert. Online donations using a credit card will soon be available as well, since Julie has set up an account with Midwest Transaction Group and Authorize.net to handle the processing of online credit card donations. The direct donation page for our website is currently being designed by our staff.

5. Friends Report: Judy DeFrancesco gave the report of the Friends Board Meeting held on February 21. She reported that the Friends have the following new Board Members: Christine Litka, Public Relations; Aleta Hill, Recording Secretary; Joe Oldenburg, Used Book Operations; Regina Mingela, Membership; and Linda Bolam, Corresponding Secretary. The Friends Annual Meeting will be held on March 21 and elections will take place at that meeting. According to the Friends President Carol Oldenburg, the major goals for the group this year will be raising community awareness of the Friends and growing the membership. Various strategies to accomplish these goals are being reviewed. Total members in 2012 were 240. The Friends Budget for 2013-2014 was approved. Mission Based Books (MBB) asked to renegotiate its contract with the Friends. The major changes MBB has requested include the elimination of a minimum price per book to the Friends and a change in the division of profits from 50-50 to 60% to Mission Based Books, 40% to the Friends. The Friends Board approved a one-year contract with these changes but will not sign the contract until Mission Based Books has paid past due monies owed to the Friends. The next Used Book Sale will be held May 31-June 2, 2013 with a Preview Night for Friends members on Thursday, May 30.

6. Budget and Finance Review:

6.1 Bills over $1,000 for approval: Treasurer Jean Hansen presented the List of Bills over $1,000 for February 2013. MOTION: Jean made a motion to approve these bills in the amount of $125,068.86 for payment. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed.6.2 Financial Report: Jean reported that a tax judgment in favor of Toll Brothers for several properties in Wayne County resulted in a large tax refund due from the Library in the amount of $34,991.37. There is $284,065.43 due to other funds in the Operating Fund, of which $200,000 was borrowed from the Reserve Fund and $84,065.43 is the excess of revenue over expenses from last year's budget. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to transfer $284,065.43 from the Operating Fund to the Reserve Fund. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed.At the end of fiscal year 2012 there was $3,808 left in the Private Donations account in the Operating Budget which should be moved to a Fund Balance account. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to create a fund balance account, "Funds-Endowment" and to transfer $3,808 into this account. Paul Snyder seconded this motion. Motion passed.Jean reported that the amount budgeted for acquisitions are ten percent of revenues. The amount for books and subscriptions needs to be amended to stay in line with projected revenues. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to amend the budgeted amount for the Books and Subscriptions account for 2013 to $195,623. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed.MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to add a line item to the budget for Friends-Revenue and another line item for Friends-Expenses, budgeted at zero for 2013. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed.

7. Committee Reports

7.1 Development Committee: Julie Herrin reported that the Development Committee met on February 12. Barbara Glover has resigned from the Committee as she is moving to Columbus, Ohio and has sold her home here. She has been instrumental in establishing the Endowment for the Library and will be greatly missed. The internal goals of the committee for next year are to support the Endowment and to increase the Endowment Fund to $500,000 by the end of 2014. The Geek Gala donor recognition party was held on January 27, with about 40 people attending despite poor weather. We will hold this donor recognition event every other year. The annual solicitation for donations went out in the latest Library Newsletter which will be mailed at the beginning of March. There will be a program on Planned Giving on Thursday, May 16 at 2:00 p.m., featuring speakers from Leave a Legacy.

8. Announcements and Comments

8.1 The next Finance Committee Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at10:00 a.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.8.2 The next Board Meeting will be on Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.8.3 There was discussion regarding a lawsuit over whether a group of Wayne County communities with TIFs (Tax Increment Financing) can take a portion of tax revenue appropriated for the Detroit Zoo. The City of Northville is party to this lawsuit. There was discussion as to how this relates to a portion of the Library's millage revenue being captured by the City's TIF, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). The Library is located just outside the DDA.According to the Library's legal counsel, whom Julie Herrin has contacted, the DDA has outstanding bonds which will not be paid off until 2024, and therefore it is not possible to get out of this annual tax capture. About 9% of the Library's revenue from the City is diverted to the DDA. There was discussion relating to asking the DDA to contribute to the repair of the cement area in front of the Library.

MOTION: Paul Snyder made a motion to adjourn the February Regular Board Meeting. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed. The Meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

2. Correspondence: Julie Herrin read a letter to the Board of Trustees from Carolyn Toyer regarding her donation of a Shakespeare bust to the Library that was inadvertently sold by the Friends of the Library in the Book Cellar. Julie will write a response to Ms. Toyer advising her again of our gift policy and letting her know that we are putting a sign in the Book Cellar asking anyone who purchased the item to return it to the Library for a full refund. Julie also reported that we received a letter from the Turf Club of Northville thanking the Library for allowing the Club to borrow a coat rack at the last minute for their fundraiser at the Northville Sports Den.

3. Director's ReportStatistics: Julie Herrin reported that circulation was down 4% and the door count was down 2%. Downloading of eBooks and audiobooks is up 44% over last year. Computer and Wi-Fi use continues to be high with over 800 Wi-Fi users again this month. Brainfuse was accessed 235 times and there were 23 users of the homework help. Freegal was used by 101 people who downloaded 642 songs. Julie distributed the 2012 Annual Report that she prepared for the Friends; it gives information on the Library collection, circulation, programming, public relations and finances for last year.Youth Programming: There were 24 programs for youth with 523 children attending. We had a promotion in March for Reading Month in which children who read 10 books were given a prize of a free paperback book. We had 132 youth who read enough books for the prize. Dorie has been in contact with the paraprofessionals who are running the school media centers. They have asked to have monthly updates of youth activities.Adult Programming: There were five programs for adults with attendance of 180 people, including 92 attendees for the gardening program by Janet Macunovich at the Senior Center.Teen Programming: Battle of the Books was held on March 20. There were 159 students who participated with over 200 people in the audience to watch the competition. The winner was a team called Hat Trick. Photographs from the event are featured on our web page. Mike DeFrancesco commented that there was a very nice article about Battle of the Books in the Northville Record. Julie reported that we have a knitting program for teens one Saturday a month in March, April and May. We have had 15 teens participate in the knitting program so far.Collections: Julie reported that the Friends Gift Book Program received over $835 in memorial donations for William McAskin, who passed away last November and had been very active with the Northville Genealogy Society. We will use these donations to purchase the Historic Detroit Free Press 1831-1922 online. His wife was very generous to make up the difference in the cost of the database and what was received in donations. Joe Corriveau offered to call Mrs. McAskin and thank her for her donation.The Friends received a Lifetime Membership contribution of $1,000 which entitles the member to a leaf on the donor tree.Technology: The five new AWE workstations for the Youth Department that were purchased with funds from the Friends were installed on March 18. They will allow for much simplified maintenance for staff and have touch screens which are more intuitive for children.Staff: Julie reported that she and Anne attended a webinar on guns in libraries which was very informative. There are currently two bills in the Michigan Legislature to add libraries to places where weapons are not permitted. Wendy attended a Local History Conference which she said was very good. Allison attended a webinar entitled Collections and Transitions in the Digital Library.PR: The Taste of Northville was held on March 9. There were 61 vendors and 306 tickets were sold. Jean Hansen, Joe Corriveau, Bob Sochacki and several of the Friends helped out. We were able to meet and talk with several other community groups who had tables at the event as well. Julie spoke to the Kiwanis Club on March 20. The group was very attentive and had a lot of good questions.National Library Week: As part of National Library Week, which is April 14-21, we are expanding our Geek posters that are on display in the Library to include community leaders. We also have a new display for the main showcase with photographs showing a day in the life of the Library. We will have a contest that week to tie into our Geek campaign asking people to tell us what they are passionate about or their favorite library memory. We will also have a puppet show and a program entitled "Making the Most of Your Tablet" during National Library Week.Endowment Report: The Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan (CFSEM) reported that the annual distribution available for withdrawal from the Library's Endowment Fund is $16,300. The Development Committee would like to reach the goal of $500,000 in the Endowment in the next two years. Jean Hansen noted that the returns offered by CFSEM have beaten the S & P 500 for every year that we have participated except for three, which is a good rate of return. Jean Hansen made a motion that no distribution be taken from the Endowment Fund, in order for the principal to increase. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed.

4. Friends Report: The Friends held their Annual Meeting on March 21 at which they elected new officers. Carol Oldenburg will continue as President. She is still in Florida but will return next month. The Friends made some changes to their by-laws as well as changes to the Agreement between the Library and the Friends. The changes to the Agreement will be presented at the next Board of Trustees meeting on April 25 for approval.

5. Budget and Finance Review:

5.1 Bills over $1,000 for approval: Treasurer Jean Hansen presented the List of Bills over $1,000 for March 2013. MOTION: Jean made a motion to approve these bills in the amount of $106,896.41 for payment. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed.5.2 Financial Report: Jean reported that the debt payment for the bonds for the building of the Library is due. The Bonds will be paid off in 2015. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to transfer $430,300 from the Debt Service Fund to US Bank for the April debt payment. Alan Somershoe seconded the motion. Motion passed.Jean Hansen reported that the large tax refund of $34,991.37 that was paid in February was not split correctly between the Debt and Operating Funds. We will ask the accountant to correct this next month.

6. Committee Reports: None

7. Announcements and Comments

7.1 The next Finance Committee Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at1:30 p.m. in Group Study Room B.7.2 The next meeting of the Personnel Committee will be held on April 25, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.7.3 The next Board Meeting will be on Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.

MOTION: Paul Snyder made a motion to adjourn the March Regular Board Meeting. Alan Somershoe seconded the motion. Motion passed. The Meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.

2. Correspondence: Letters received from the City of Northville to the Board members were distributed. The letters are inviting the Board members to attend a City planning session on Monday, April 29.

3. Director's Report:Statistics: Julie Herrin reported that circulation was down slightly, by 3.4%. We were closed an extra day this month due to the carpeting installation. We have seen an increase of 58% in downloading. Freegal was used by 178 people who downloaded 732 songs. Brainfuse was accessed 254 times by 44 users. Wi-Fi use continues to be high with over 800 Wi-Fi users again this month. The AWE computers for children are popular and easy to use. There have been 904 sessions on the AWE computers since March 18.Youth Programming: There were 32 programs for youth with 779 children attending. There were 94 attendees at the Teddy Bear Picnic Puppet Show which was a special program held for National Library Week.Adult Programming: There were six programs for adults with attendance of 198 people. We held a new program for National Library Week on tablet usage, with emphasis on using Library applications on a tablet. This program was attended by 30 people.Teen Programming: Julie reported that six teens participated in a "yarn bomb" of the Teen area that was also held for National Library Week. Colorful knitted decorations have been placed on several of the furniture pieces in that area.Staff: Julie reported that Nancy Clarizio and Mary Brissette attended Spring Institute which is the Michigan Library Association's annual conference for youth librarians. Laura also attended the Reader's Advisory Workshop on suspense, romance and manga. Wendy Mutch attended a webinar on Preservation of Digitization. Julie attended a webinar on Working Effectively with Library Trustees.Facility: The projects to replace the lighting around the main staircase and replace the carpeting in the staff work areas as well as the main staircase have been completed. The Library needs a new phone system. The current system is original to the building and is outdated. If something were to break with our current system, it would be impossible to repair. We are currently getting bids for replacing the system. We have received one bid and have meetings with two more vendors next week.PR: Julie reported that the Library received a lot of publicity during National Library Week. Julie thanked the Friends of the Northville District Library and Chris Litka for her letter to editor of the Northville Record that appeared in the paper for National Library Week. Julie also wrote a guest column for the Northville Record for National Library Week and Northville Township Trustee Fred Shadko wrote a column in support of the Library. We put up a new display of photographs depicting a day in the life of the Library in the main display case. We also had several members of the community pose for Geek posters which are on display near the staircase on the lower level of the Library. And finally, a Geek Contest is under way in the Library in which we are asking entrants to write down what they geek or what their favorite Library memory is.Other: Julie and Karen attended the State of the Community Luncheon. One of the community leaders who was photographed for a Geek poster was Mary Kay Gallagher, the Superintendent of the Northville Public Schools. She used her Geek poster during her State of the Community speech and thanked the Library. The Museum Adventure Pass, a program that we have had in the past that offered admission to cultural institutions, is returning. However, it will now be called the Michigan Activity Pass and will offer free or reduced admission to area museums.

4. Agreement between the Friends of the Northville District Library and the Northville District Library: The Board reviewed the changes to the Agreement between the Library and the Friends. MOTION: Jim Morché made a motion to accept the changes to the Agreement between the Friends of the Northville District Library and the Northville District Library. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed.

5. Friends of the Northville District Library Report: Carol Oldenburg, the President of the Friends, reported that they held their Annual Meeting on March 21 at which they elected new officers. Annual reports for 2012 were presented by each Friends Director and Committee Head. The Friends annual report is available online on the Friends portion of the NDL website. The Friends 2013/2014 membership drive began in March. The Friends major goal this year is to increase membership. They plan to do this by raising awareness of the Friends, what they do and how they support the Library. The 2013/14 Friends budget was approved, including the Library wish list. The Friends have signed a one year contract with Mission Based Books (MBB) following the Friends receipt of overdue payments in the amount of $6,147. The next Used Book Sale will be May 30-June 2, 2013. Thursday, May 30 is the Friends Preview Night. The Friends Book and Author Luncheon will be held on May 9, 2013.

6. Budget and Finance Review:

6.1 Bills over $1,000 for approval: Treasurer Jean Hansen presented the List of Bills over $1,000 for April 2013. MOTION: Jean made a motion to approve these bills in the amount of $92,669.20 for payment. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed.6.2 Financial Report: Jean Hansen presented the Financial Report, noting that we have received 95% of our total revenue for the year. Jean reported that the large tax refund of $34,991.37 that was paid in February was not split correctly between the Debt and Operating Funds. The accountant has corrected this problem. We have received another large tax refund due in April that is on the List of Bills over $1,000. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to transfer $7,153.07 from the Debt Service Fund to the Operating Fund for tax refunds. Alan Somershoe seconded the motion. Motion passed. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to increase the budgeted amount for Building and Maintenance by $27,656, which is the total of the fund balances for Prepaid Expenses and Facilities Preservation, so that the total in the Building and Maintenance budgeted amount will be $107,656. Jim Morché seconded the motion. Motion passed. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to increase the budgeted amount for Books and Subscriptions by $6,400, which is the fund balance amount for Books and Subscriptions, so that the total in the Books and Subscriptions will be $202,023. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to increase the budgeted amount for Endowment Expense by $3,808, which is the fund balance amount for Endowment. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed.

7. Committee Reports :

7.1 Personnel Committee: Joe Corriveau reported that the Personnel Committee met at 7:00 p.m., before the regular Board meeting. The recommendation of the Committee is to give Julie and Anne a 1/% salary increase and a stipend of $1,000. Also, the Committee recommends that Anne's vacation be increased by one day to 25 days per year. MOTION: Joe Corriveau made a motion to adopt the recommendations of the Personnel Committee regarding a 1% salary increase and stipend of $1,000 for Julie Herrin and Anne Mannisto. Jim Morché seconded the motion. Motion passed. MOTION: Joe Corriveau made a motion to adopt the recommendations of the Personnel Committee in regard to increasing Anne Mannisto's vacation to total 25 vacation days per year. Jean Hansen seconded the motion. Motion passed.

8. Announcements and Comments :

8.1 The next Finance Committee Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. in Carlo Meeting Room.

8.2 The next Board Meeting will be on Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.

MOTION: Paul Snyder made a motion to enter into an Executive Session to discuss contract negotiations. Alan Somershoe seconded the motion. Motion passed.

The Board returned from Executive Session at 8:20 p.m.

MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to amend the Union Contract with a Letter of Agreement. It will include a 1% salary increase and a $1,000 stipend for full time employees and a $500 stipend for part time Union employees. It will also increase monthly stipends for employees participating in the Library's Blue Cross insurance plan to the amounts stipulated in the Letter of Agreement. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed.

MOTION: Joe Corriveau made a motion to adjourn the April Regular Board Meeting. Alan Somershoe seconded the motion. Motion passed. The Meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

2. Correspondence: Julie Herrin reported that the Library received a certificate of congratulations for Books and Beyond, our Library fundraising event, from Wayne County Commissioner Laura Cox.

3. Director's Report:Statistics: Julie reported that circulation appears to have returned to normal after the bad winter weather and is currently just about the same as last year. Downloads are up 28%. Database use is up by almost double which may be due to the Homework Help class we held for students. Jean Hansen asked what the circulation plus download statistic referred to. Julie reported that this is books checked out and any item downloaded, eBooks and music. Brainfuse was used 870 times by 64 users and Freegal was used by 129 patrons to download 745 songs. The door count was up by 1.7%. Use of the website has tripled and wireless use is at an all-time high. Forty-seven groups used the meeting rooms last month. Youth Programming: : There were 30 programs for youth with 594 attendees. A storytime for four and five year olds has had to be cancelled due to low attendance, likely due to full- day kindergarten and increased preschool attendance. Adult Programming: There were five programs for adults with 170 attending. A program on Shakespeare had 38 people attend, a class on the Kindle had 17 attendees and a program on the Cloud had 58 in attendance. Technology: Julie reported that we are adding audiovisual equipment to the Storytime Room. This will include a larger pull-down screen, a projector for use with a computer and a DVD player. This will make the room more versatile for programs and allow the Youth Services librarians to use various computer apps as props in their storytimes. The Library began using the new online catalog Enterprise. The new catalog is no longer hosted by the Library Network but by the software developer Sirsi and stored in the Cloud. This will allow for easier updates to the catalog and for new features like the ability to download an eBook right from the catalog record, which will be added in the future. Staff: Anne and Karen Fehl, our Public Relations Librarian, attended a webinar on social media policy. The Youth Department attended an American Library Association webcast entitled Best Practices for Apps in Storytime, to go along with the ability to use apps in the updated Storytime Room. Patricia Garavoglia attended a workshop on cataloging. Julie and Anne attended a workshop entitled Securing Your Library in Troubling Times that dealt with responding to an active shooter in the Library. Julie spoke to the Northville Police Chief regarding assistance from the Police Department in establishing a plan of action for such an event. Our health insurance agent, Eric Hammill, came out to the library to give a presentation to all of the staff who are Blue Cross subscribers on the new health insurance plan that will go into effect on June 1st. John Chrastka, with the group EveryLibrary that assists libraries with millage campaigns, will speak to the staff on May 7 regarding what staff legally can and can’t say to patrons regarding the millage renewal campaign. He will also speak to the Ballot Question Committee on May 6 at Joe Corriveau’s office. Facility: Julie reported that our former custodian, who worked for Allied Building Service, felt that he needed to dispose of a computer hard drive and a flash drive. He poured epoxy on the items and lit them while he was in the storage area behind the Book Cellar. The items did not catch fire but he was burned on his hair and face. The Fire Department was called and the building evacuated for almost two hours. The custodian is no longer working for us or employed with Allied. We plan to replace the carpeting in the public areas of the building. We have received one bid on the project, at between $101,000 and $106,000, which includes complete moving services for all shelving, furniture and collections on both floors of the building, new carpeting and installation, and removal of the old carpeting. Julie will get more bids as well. Public Relations: Julie and Anne attended the State of the Community luncheon, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. We brought the display board on Northville in 1964, which featured articles from the digitized Northville Record, to celebrate the Chamber’s 50th anniversary. The display was popular. The Chamber is currently displaying the board in their offices. The summer newsletter will be out the first week of June and will feature a new look, changing to a full page now with a new masthead. Our Public Relations Intern has started and is focusing on increasing our social media presence. We will be posting a daily item to Facebook. Julie encouraged the Trustees to “like” the Library on Facebook.

4. Friends of the Northville District Library Report: Carol Oldenburg, President of the Friends, reported that last month was a good month for the Friends with over $5,000 in revenue. The Friends new membership year began on March 1 and they have 167 new and renewed memberships so far. Gift Store sales were slow for March, possibly due to the poor weather. The Friends Gift Store will hold Member Shopping Days May 2 through May 4, during which Friends members receive a 10% discount on their purchases. The March newsletter focused on the 2013 accomplishments of the Friends, so that members are kept more informed of the past year’s activities. The total revenue for used book sales for the 2013/2014 year was $25,644.08, which included $8,834.32 in sales from Mission Based Books (MBB) which has since gone out of business. MBB owes the Friends an additional $1,966.41 for sales from October 2013 through January 2014 that they have notified us they are unable to pay at this time. They will try to pay in installments but there is no guarantee they will be able to do so. A new vendor, Look at a Book, located in Ohio, took 650 of our books that remained with MBB. So far Look at a Book has sold about $300 worth of our materials. The Friends will continue to sell books without the use of a vendor for now and monitor revenues to see how things are going. MBB also recycled materials that could not be sold for us. The Salvation Army has begun a twice monthly pick up of our recycled materials.

5. Budget and Finance Review:

5.1 Bills over $1,000 for approval: Jean Hansen presented the List of Bills over $1,000 for April 2014. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to approve these bills in the amount of $73,489.12 for payment. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed. 5.2 Financial Report: Jean reported that the $100,000 the Operating Fund borrowed from the Reserve Fund until tax revenue was received has been paid back. We are about a third of the way through our fiscal year and we have received 90% of our tax revenue. We received the first State Aid payment of $10,065.06. The second payment is usually about the same as the first, which will put us over budget for State Aid this year when we receive the second payment. Jean reported that we budgeted $25,000 for our liability insurance for this year but the cost was only $12,368 due to a member distribution of excess funds. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to amend the amount budgeted for Liability and Property Insurance from $25,000 to $12,368. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed. Jean reported that she and Julie met with Laura Branchick, our representative from Comerica Bank, who explained that due to the Dodd Frank Act, the Library Debt Fund can no longer invest in the Library J Fund. We will invest in a money market account instead which are currently paying .2% interest, quite a bit more than the .04% the J Fund paid in 2013. We also opened a money market account for the Reserve Fund and transferred the money from the Reserve J Fund to the new account for improved interest earnings.

6. Administrative Contracts : Julie reported that contracts for herself and Anne expired on February 28, 2014. There are no changes to be made except for the dates of the contract. MOTION: Mike DeFrancesco made a motion to renew the employment contracts for Julie Herrin and Anne Mannisto for two years. Jean Hansen seconded the motion. Motion passed.

7. Millage Election : On May 6 the Ballot Question Committee will meet. John Chrastka who works for EveryLibrary, a company that helps libraries that are facing millage elections, will speak and will share his expertise with the committee. Two decisions that should be made prior to this meeting are: 1) how long we will be asking voters to renew the millage for; and 2) what the library will do if the millage does not pass. The budget would be short about $450,000 without the millage renewal. Julie presented a list of impacts to the Library if the millage did not pass. The list was discussed by the Board. Impacts would likely be felt in staffing and library hours. There was discussion regarding the length of the millage renewal. MOTION:Paul Snyder made a motion to ask for a millage renewal for seven years. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed with two dissenting votes. Paul discussed information from the Friends of Michigan Library stating that the Friends should have already donated any funds they were contributing to the Ballot Question Committee, rather than just earmarking them, for tax reasons. Carol stated that she thought the money had been donated already around the same time that the forms were sent into the State establishing the Ballot Question Committee. Carol will check with Friends Treasurer Deborah Stanifer regarding this. Julie distributed a copy of the proposed ballot language to the Board.

8. Committee Reports :

8.1 Development Committee: Julie reported that the Books and Beyond Fundraiser, a wine tasting at Cantoro’s Italian Market, was very successful, with 196 people attending and $12,563 raised for the Library. The Development Committee met the Monday after the event to discuss changes for next year. The date for next year’s fundraiser will be Sunday, April 19, 2015. 8.1 Facilities Committee:Julie distributed a list of building maintenance projects and costs for 2014-2018 that was compiled by Mike DeFrancesco. Repairs for the current year (2014) total $154,500. The Facilities Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. to further discuss the list of projects. The Friends Book Cellar is located in the front part of the Library storage area. This area is not properly heated as it was intended to be for storage only in the original building plans. The room is very cold. MOTION: Mike DeFrancesco made a motion to install a reheat coil in the Book Cellar to reduce dampness and chill, at a cost of $3,000. Jim Morché seconded the motion. Motion passed.

9. Announcements and Comments :

9.1 The next Finance Committee Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.

9.2 The next Board Meeting will be on Thursday, May 22, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.

3. Director's Report:Statistics: Julie reported that circulation was down by 5.69% while downloads were up 14%. Circulation with downloads added is about the same as last year. Database use was down while website use was up. Computer use is low compared to last year though wireless Internet use was up. Brainfuse was used 390 times. Freegal was used by 101 patrons to download 591 songs. There was discussion about the monthly statistics page and the meaning of various terminology. Jean asked what “website analytics” referred to. Julie stated that this is a measure of website visits. Jean asked if the name could be changed on the report to “website visits”. Jean also asked what “database clicks” referred to. Anne responded that it is a measure of visitors to the Library website who click on the database page and is a way to measure “in library” versus remote database usage. Jean would like to see this statistic compared to last year. Jim asked for clarification on the difference between database clicks and usage. Anne explained that for database usage, different vendors measure this differently. Most report sessions, but some report only searches. Jim stated it would be helpful to have list of definitions for terms used in the statistics report. Programming: There were 19 programs for youth with 510 attendees. There were six programs for adults with 100 attending. The Museum Adventure Pass, which provides admission or discounts on admission to various local cultural institutions, has begun again and includes passes to Mill Race Village this year. The Michigan Big Green Gym program, formerly known as the Park and Read program, which provides a free one-day pass to Michigan State Parks, has also begun again for the summer. Staff: : Julie and Anne attended a TLN presentation on the current state of library automation products. The contract for the TLN shared automation system, which includes the public catalog plus circulation and other modules, is up in two years and TLN is beginning to look at replacement products. Julie reported that four Board of Trustee members have terms expiring December 31. July 17 is the last day for those trustees who are running for reelection to pay their $100 filing fee or turn in 40 to 100 valid signatures on an election petition to the Wayne County Clerk. Julie asked if the Board would like this to be publicized and the Board agreed that an article should be submitted to the Northville Record about the election. Facility: Julie reported that she sent out four requests for bids to replace the carpeting in the public areas of the Library. She received two bids back. One of the vendors is about $8,000 less than the other; however Julie has concerns about the lower bidder’s ability to move the public desks and lift the book stacks effectively in order to carpet under them. Julie also was unable to verify references for carpet installation, particularly at the two libraries listed on the lower bidder’s references. The higher bidder has two pages of verifiable references for carpet installation at other libraries. MOTION: Mike DeFrancesco made a motion to accept the bid of Library Design to carpet the public areas of the Library for $108,853. Jim Morché seconded the motion. Motion passed. The Library will be closed for two days in August for a portion of the carpet replacement. The remaining replacement will be done while the Library is open.

4. Friends of the Northville District Library Report: Julie Herrin presented the Friends report. Julie distributed a list that the Friends have prepared on the history of the Friends donations to the Library. From 1969 to 2013, the Friends gave the Library $576,314.63. The data was compiled from past Friends minutes and annual reports. There are currently 194 members of the Friends which is very good. The Gift Store revenues continue to be low. The Friends are encouraging the giving of gift books for upcoming holidays such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day as well as graduations, with articles about gift books in both the Northville Record and the Friends online mailing. The Friends received their first payment of $220 from Look at a Book, the vendor who took some of the Friends books from Mission-Based Books to sell. The Friends Spring Used Book Sale is next week, May 29 (preview night)-June 1.

5. Budget and Finance Review:

5.1 Bills over $1,000 for approval: Jean Hansen presented the List of Bills over $1,000 for May 2014. MOTION:Jean Hansen made a motion to approve these bills in the amount of $70,159.43.12 for payment. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed. 5.2 Financial Report: Jean reported that we are 42% of the way through our fiscal year and have received 98% of our tax revenue. We have received our first State Aid payment of $10,065. The second payment should be close to the same amount as the first. There is a revenue category, Grants, on the income statement that is funded with $3,000. These funds are from the award Librarian Wendy Mutch won from Gale Cengage for the Local History portion of our website. The line item for Liability and Property Insurance has been changed to correctly reflect the amount spent for the year. There is a credit in the Operating Supplies account due to a credit received for RFID tags that were returned to 3M. The amount spent for Special Programs is a bit over budget. The money in the J Fund Accounts with Comerica for the Reserve and Debt Funds have been moved to money market accounts as discussed at last month’s meeting. The financial statements will be updated to reflect the new accounts. Jean stated there is a need to increase the budgeted amount for Electronic Products. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to reduce the budgeted amount for Books and Subscriptions from $198,604 to $194,604 and to increase the amount budgeted for Electronic Products from $50,000 to $54,000. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed.

6. Grants Committee :Paul Snyder reported that he has taken a course on grant writing. There are many types of grants that can be applied for, including those through the federal government, non-profit organizations, foundations and other private groups. The application process is not easy and there are often reporting requirements after the grant is received. We would also want to make sure that we pursue those grants that match closely with our programming. Jim stated that he has several years’ experience with grants as well and would be available to assist Paul. Jim would like to see a Grants Committee established. Jean stated that this type of committee might be a better fit as a sub-committee of the Development Committee with contributions from staff and community members as well. There was discussion about how the committee might function as a sub-committee of the Development Committee. There is a Development Committee meeting scheduled for June 9 at 7p.m.

7. Committee Reports :

7.1 Facilities Committee: Mike DeFrancesco reported that, when approached for an estimate on changes to our heating and cooling system, Long’s directed us to an engineering consulting firm, Sellinger Associates. Steve Benaske from this company met with Mike and Julie on May 15. He felt that the Library boilers should last for another 10 to 15 years and that the variable speed motors suggested by SHW Group in their building assessment report would not make much difference in energy efficiency. A second, smaller boiler, for use in running only the cooling system, would be a possible direction to go in. If we used the engineering firm’s services, which would run between $10,000 and $20,000, they would assist us with preparing plans as well as permits for the project. Mike has also found another local engineer, Tom Barry, who lives in Northville and works for the firm Limbach Facilities Services. He has approached Mr. Barry about providing an estimate for similar services. Robert was concerned that the information on these changes recommended initially by the SHW Group in their report were not specific enough as to what is needed and what it would cost. There was discussion about the SHW Group report as well as the need to have an engineer consult.

8. Announcements and Comments :

8.1 The next Finance Committee Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.

8.2 The next Board Meeting will be on Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.

9. Adjourn Regular Meeting: MOTION: Mike DeFrancesco made a motion to adjourn the May Regular Board Meeting. Robert Sochacki seconded the motion. Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Sochacki, Secretary

05/29/2014

Library Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes for Thursday,June 26, 2014

1. Call to Order: Chair Alan Somershoe called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:32 p.m.

3. Director's Report:Statistics: Julie stated that Michael McEvoy made the requested changes in layout and content of the monthly statistics page as the Board requested. He also prepared a list of definitions to assist in understanding the information presented on the statistics page. Jean asked if the title “Circulation” could be added to the top of the first chart to assist in defining what is being reported. Julie reported that circulation was down by 5.54% for the month. Downloads were up by 23%. The current twelve-month average for circulation is down by 1.126%. The door count was down by 3.5% for May. Usage of the website was up by 120%. Database usage was down for all of the databases we offer except for those provided by MEL (Michigan eLibrary). Zinio was used 139 times in the first month it was active; this was likely staff familiarizing themselves with the new database, as it had not yet been heavily promoted. Freegal was used by 94 patrons to download 541 songs. Brainfuse was used 169 times which is down but higher than May of last year when it was used 68 times. Programming: There were 6 programs for youth with 600 attendees. There are currently 711 children registered for the Summer Reading Program. There were two programs for teens with 56 people attending. There are 159 teens signed up for Summer Reading. There are 27 teens participating in the Teen Corps, a group of teen volunteers who assist at the Library for the summer, helping with many things including programs, folding brochures, and book drops. There were four programs for adults with 74 attending. The Adult Summer Reading program has 192 participants. We are expanding our eBook help on Wednesday evenings from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. to include help with eMagazines and tablets. Staff: Julie reported that Jeannie Davidson is retiring from the Library. There will be a farewell gathering for Jeannie on Monday, June 30 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Technology: The Library now has a functioning Intranet with a staff blog to allow staff to easily find forms and staff information, as well as share information with each other. We have been working on the development of the Intranet for some time. Kristine Towne, our digital services librarian, and Anne Mannisto did a lot of work on this project. Facility: Julie reported that the Library will be closed on Monday, August 25 and Tuesday, August 26, 2014 for installation of the new carpeting in the public areas. The entire project will take about nine days to complete. The staff entrance door has a passcard system that is seventeen years old and the software is no longer supported by our alarm company. We are purchasing a new system that uses RFID (radio-frequency identification) cards. Public Relations: Julie reported that Karen Fehl was able to reserve the month of October for Library lamppost banners in downtown Northville. The cost to hang and remove the banners is $7 per lamppost. We may choose as many lampposts as we want. The Garden Club puts banners on 6 lampposts while the Victorian Festival does 31 posts. The banners are available in two types of vinyl. The better quality vinyl costs $182 per banner while the lesser quality vinyl is $120 per banner. The banners can be reused. Alan asked what the message on them would be. Julie stated that we have not decided yet, but we would like to design something that can be used for several years. Jean wondered what the lead time for production of the banners would be. She would like to see the Library logo used as part of the banner design. Robert Sochacki questioned whether vinyl was the best material to use for the banners or if something like the nylon material used to make flags would be longer lasting. Julie will ask Karen to get more information on the banners and Julie will report back to the Board. Alan is available to assist Karen in making phone calls regarding this. The June newsletter went out in the mail the first week of June. Information on the Summer Reading Program was sent to parents via the Northville Public Schools listserv. The Volunteer Recognition Party will be held on Thursday, July 31 at 7 p.m. Invitations will go out in the mail very soon. The fact sheet that was developed for information on the millage renewal was sent to John Chrastka at EveryLibrary for his opinion. The Library is having a summer photo contest entitled “Pure Northville”. We are asking patrons of all ages to submit their photos taken anywhere in Northville, and especially at the Library. The photos should capture the essence of Northville in the summertime. The contest will run from June 15 to August 15. The Downtown Development Authority has asked us if we would share the pictures from the contest with them.

4. Friends of the Northville District Library Report: Carol Oldenburg, Friends President, reported that the Friends currently have 222 members. Last request letters have gone out to those former members who have not renewed their membership. Revenue for the Gift Shop continued to be low in May and is currently below last year’s revenue. The next issue of the Friends newsletter will go out in July. To support the millage renewal efforts, the Board of the Friends is planning to move the publication of the November newsletter to October so that members will have it before the millage vote. The Friends will emphasize the importance of supporting the millage. In the past month the Friends have donated 31 boxes of books to the Children’s Center in Detroit. The Friends also gave the Tipping Point Theater 40 boxes of books that had been designated for recycling for use in their last play, “The Red King’s Dream”, for which they received an acknowledgement in the play program. The Spring Used Book Sale was very successful, bringing in $1,637.55, an 82% increase over last spring’s sale and a 12% increase over the fall sale. The vendor Look-at-a-Book (LAAB) continues to sell the books that were previously with Mission-Based Books. In two months the Friends have received checks totaling $494.47. LAAB reports sales quickly and pays in a timely manner. Upon the recommendation of Joe Oldenburg, their Used Book Sale Director, the Friends Board approved continuing to work with LAAB to scan and sell our used books. The software that LAAB uses for scanning of books has been installed and is much easier to use. LAAB uses 29 different websites to sell books and the Friends can end the agreement with them at any time, as LAAB does not require a contract. Jean asked if the Friends had thought about using the Gift Shop space for used book sales. Carol stated that the current layout of the store would not allow for the space to sell books but it may be something considered in the future.

5. Budget and Finance Review:

5.1 Bills over $1,000 for approval: Jean Hansen presented the List of Bills over $1,000 for May 2014. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to approve these bills in the amount of $64,109.93 for payment. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed. 5.2 Financial Report: Jean reported that we are half-way through our fiscal year and have received 98% of our tax revenue. We received a check from Wayne County for delinquent taxes today. Our second State Aid check and Penal Fines check are still to come. Most of the Library expenses remain under 50% spent at this fiscal year midpoint. We received $247 in interest in the new money market account for the Reserve Fund, as compared to $58.98 in interest last month with the old J Fund account. Jean reported that the Finance Committee has had two meetings in which the 2015 Budget was discussed. Jean distributed a copy of the budget as it has been compiled so far. Any questions the Trustees have can be discussed in July. The public hearing on the 2015 budget will be held in August.

6. Committee Reports:

6.1 Facilities Committee: Mike DeFrancesco reported that Sellinger Associates submitted a proposal in the amount of $35,000 to provide mechanical and electrical engineering services for the Library HVAC project. Mike distributed a list of the scope of the work covered by the proposal. Sellinger’s proposal would use our primary boilers for heating the building but would add a separate unit for air conditioning. We have not received a proposal back yet from Limbach Facilities Services. There was discussion about the proposal.

6.2 Development Committee: Julie reported that the Development Committee met June 9 and got updates from each of the sub-committees. A new Grants sub-committee was established with Paul Snyder, Jim Morché and Erin McDermott as members. Jim mentioned that he attended a Plante Moran seminar on grants.

7. Adoption of the Resolution for the Millage Proposal: Robert Sochacki read Resolution 2014-02 which sets the language for the Library millage proposal ballot question. This Resolution is to renew 0.19972 mills for 7 years, to be placed on the November 4, 2014 ballot. MOTION: Robert Sochacki made a motion to adopt Resolution 2014-02. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. The Resolution passed by a unanimous roll call vote, with one Trustee absent.

8. Announcements and Comments :

8.1 The next Finance Committee Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 22, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. in the Youth Storytime Room.

8.2 The next Board Meeting will be on Thursday, July 24, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.

9. Adjourn Regular Meeting: MOTION: Robert Sochacki made a motion to adjourn the June Regular Board Meeting. Jim Morché seconded the motion. Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.

2. Correspondence: Julie reported that we received a note from local author Kathleen Ripley Leo thanking the library for holding an event to promote her book The Seamless Universe. She also donated $40 to the Library Endowment fund.

3. Director's Report:Statistics: Julie Herrin reported that July was a slow month for circulation which was down by 7.45%. Downloads were up by 36%. Database usage in general is lower than last year. Youth computer usage was up for the month, likely due to the Summer Reading Program. Jean Hansen noted that website visits were up considerably for the year and this was a strategic planning goal. Zinio was used 874 times by 59 users. Brainfuse had 448 accesses by 37 patrons. Programming: Julie reported that 308 youth attended programs in August. There were 904 children registered for the Summer Reading Program. Over 2,300 children attended the various programs held during the Summer Reading Program and 147 children attended the final party. The Adult Summer Reading program had 238 participants registered. Eighty-four patrons attended programs for the month, while 18 attended computer tutoring, and 29 attended classes on how to use electronic devices. There were 136 people attending Teen programs in August and a total of 226 teens signed up for Summer Reading. Staff: Julie reported that Vicki Dixon, who was employed with us as a part-time Adult Services librarian, was hired for the full-time position vacated by Wendy Mutch when Wendy became the Department Head of Adult Services. We will begin interviewing candidates for Vicki’s former part-time positon next week. Once that position is filled, the library will be fully staffed for the first time in quite a long time. Julie also reported that, due to the increase in the State minimum wage requirement, library pages will have a salary increase from $7.75 to $8.15 per hour. Facility: Julie reported that eight new can lights were installed in the fireplace area of the Library. The electrical plugs that were a trip hazard were removed before the new carpeting began to be installed. Public Relations: Julie reported that a new magazine, Northville Today, has a full page article on the Library. The magazine is published quarterly by Community Publishing and Marketing and is distributed with the Northville Record. Julie stated that, after many months of communication with the City, we were advised that the lamppost banners the Library was hoping to hang in town in October and during National Library Week in April could only be hung for a special event or cultural activity. Julie spoke with the City Manager who advised her that our banners did not meet the requirements, and that she could go to the City Council to request a change or exemption from the policy. Julie informed the Board and the Yes to NDL Committee of the City’s decision. Michele Fecht asked if she could speak with the City Manager on the Library’s behalf. She met with him and was able to convince him to allow us to hang lamppost banners for National Library Week in April. Bob Sochacki expressed concern that there are plans to hang large directional signs in the downtown area that could block the view of the lamppost banners. Alan Somershoe reported that the intent of the directional signs, proposed by the Downtown Development Authority, is to help those who are not familiar with Northville to find parking and main area attractions. There are 17 locations in which the directional signs will be hung on City lampposts. There will also be some additional small parking signs. Alan will bring a map, showing which lampposts are to be used for the directional signs, to the next Board meeting so that the Board can decide what lampposts will be the best for our banners and how many the Library should order for April.

4. Friends of the Northville District Library Report: Carol Oldenburg, Friends President, reported that the Friends currently have 249 members. Gift Shop sales continue to be slow though new stock is beginning to come in for fall and holiday sales. The Friends newsletter will be sent out a month early, in October, and will have an emphasis on supporting the millage renewal. Upcoming Friends programs include a presentation by Lori Feret on Ghost Stories of the Great Lakes on October 28, Picks & Sticks on November 11, and Twelfth Night on December 2. The Friends are still waiting for the heating and cooling repair to be done in the Book Cellar. No work has been done to this point and it is still very cold in the room. The Friends have voted to continue to work with the online used bookseller Look-at-a-Book. They are very timely in sending reports and checks for items sold and they also require no contract. The Fall Used Book Sale will be held November 7, 8 and 9, with the Friends Preview Night on November 6. The goal for the next Used Book Sale is to have several committees to run the overall sale, as these sales are too labor intensive to continue to be run by one or two people. The Friends are sending a gift book in honor of John Genitti.

5. Budget and Finance Review:

5.1 Jean Hansen presented the List of Bills over $1,000 for August 2014. MOTION:Jean Hansen made a motion to approve these bills in the amount of $91,951.58 for payment. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed. 5.2 Financial Report: Jean noted that we are 67% through our fiscal year. She reported that that the amount of $458.18 in tax refunds was paid from the Operating Fund but is actually the portion due from the Debt Fund. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to transfer $458.18 from the Debt Fund to the Operating Fund to cover the tax refunds due to the Operating Fund. Jim Morché seconded the motion. Motion passed. Jean reported that the $1,518.06 showing under Taxes Receivable on the Operating Fund balance sheet are funds that our accountant says Wayne County owes us for tax refunds. Jean reported that we received a check for $67,406.65 for delinquent taxes in July from Wayne County. Of that amount, $10,531.98 is due to the Debt Fund. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to transfer $10,531.98 from the Operating Fund to the Debt Fund for delinquent taxes. Jim Morché seconded the motion. Motion passed. Jean reported that we received the second State Aid payment in the amount of $10,249.32 this month. The Penal Fines check from Wayne County in the amount of $22,653.26 was received in August and will show up on next month’s report. Bank fees are at 98.51% of the budgeted amount because credit cards are being used for payment of fines more than we anticipated. We have been advised by our accountants that the amount of our Reserve Fund (minus Building Preservation) should be 20-30% of our Operating expenditures. We have budgeted $60,000 from the current year’s budget for Building Preservation. With our upcoming future expenses for new carpeting and mechanical upgrades, we should transfer funds from our Unfunded Expenses Fund to the Facilities Preservation Fund. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to transfer $500,000 from the Unfunded Expenses Fund to the Facilities Preservation Fund within the overall Reserve Fund. Mike DeFrancesco seconded the motion. Motion passed. MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to transfer the $60,000 budgeted in 2014 for Building Preservation from the Operating Fund to the Facilities Preservation Fund within the Reserve Fund. Paul Snyder seconded the motion. Motion passed. 5.3 2015 Budget: MOTION: Jean Hansen made a motion to approve the proposed 2014-2015 Operating Budget for the Northville District Library. Robert Sochacki seconded the motion. Motion passed. 5.4 Resolution to Set Millage Rates: Secretary Robert Sochacki presented Resolution 2014-04, to set the millage rates for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. MOTION: Robert Sochacki made a motion to adopt Resolution 2014-04. The Resolution was adopted by a unanimous roll call vote of the Trustees present.

6. Committee Reports :

6.1 Facilities Committee: Mike DeFrancesco reported that a representative of the Limbach Company met with the Facilities Committee regarding their proposal for replacement of the Library heating and cooling system. There was discussion about how to proceed with getting bids from other contractors for replacement of the system. As the work will be over $10,000 we should have three competing bids. We will need to prepare a request for proposals. There was discussion about posting the request for proposals in the local newspaper or online on a government bid website. Julie will look into options. Jim Morché commended Mike DeFrancesco on the work that he has done on this.

7. Announcements and Comments :

7.1 The next Finance Committee Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.

7.2 The next Board Meeting will be on Thursday, September 25, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the Carlo Meeting Room.

7.3 Paul stated that the Board should recognize the passing of John Genitti who was an active supporter of the Library, particularly in the early years. The Board decided to purchase a gift book for Mr. Genitti and a collection was taken.

8. Adjourn Regular Meeting: MOTION:Robert Sochacki made a motion to adjourn the August Regular Board Meeting. Jim Morché seconded the motion. Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m.